1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microscope used for observing a sample such as a semiconductor device, and a sample observation method therewith.
2. Related Background Art
Inspection of semiconductors is implemented using a method of observing a semiconductor device as a sample with a microscope or the like and thereby performing an analysis of failure in a semiconductor device, evaluation of reliability thereof, and so on. The known semiconductor inspection apparatus include an emission microscope, an IR-OBIRCH device, and so on (cf. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H7-190946 and Japanese Patent Publication No. H7-18806). In recent years, however, the semiconductor devices as inspected objects are being miniaturized more and more, and it is becoming hard for the conventional inspection apparatus using visible light or infrared light, to analyze the microstructure, because of restrictions from the diffraction limit in the optical system.
For this reason, in a case where the microstructure of a semiconductor device is analyzed to detect an abnormal portion in a circuit pattern such as transistors and interconnections formed in the semiconductor device, an abnormality-existing range is first narrowed down to some extent by an inspection apparatus using visible light or infrared light. Then the narrowed-down range is further observed by a method with an observation apparatus such as an electron microscope with higher resolution to detect an abnormal portion in the semiconductor device.